1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to air operated water metering valve systems, and more particularly to a universal adapter permitting an air-type push button control to be mounted in any fixture.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of pneumatic water metering valves in public lavatories and washrooms is well known. Such valves are mounted in the lavatory fixture and are actuated by a push button type control which, when operated, depresses an air diaphragm connected to the metering valve. A pulse of air pressure opens the valve causing a preselected amount of water to flow into the lavatory. It is also known to gang a plurality of pneumatic water metering valves in group washing systems such as used in factories and large office lavatories. Here, a common lavatory basin may have a plurality of water spouts and of hand and foot operated push buttons such that a number of workers can use the facility at one time.
A representative metering valve and push button system is described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 4,630,644 to Haffner et al and assigned to Acorn Engineering Company. Commercially available push button devices available from Acorn Engineering Company are designed to be mounted through thin metal panels such as stainless steel. Thus, such push button devices cannot be used with conventional lavatory fixtures having relatively thick walls or through countertops formed from plywood, marble or the like.
It has been proposed that a significant cost saving can be realized, through the use of this type of metering valves, in construction of washrooms having long counters with multiple lavatories mounted therein such as are common in airports, schools, and other public and private buildings. Such proposal suggests mounting a plurality of water metering valves ganged together in an accessible closet or wall space having a single cold water line and a single hot water line plumbed into the ganged valves. Relatively small flexible plastic lines would carry the hot and cold water from the location of the ganged valves to each of the lavatories along an extended counter. A diaphragm type push button device would be mounted for each of the ganged valves at the respective lavatories and connected to the respective valves by plastic tubing. Thus, there is a need for a universal adapter that can be attached to existing and available air-type push button control bodies and which can be mounted through materials of various thicknesses having openings of various sizes.